Tramps was the major disco in her small country area. Each panel of the dance floor would light up a different colour,
it was an exact replica of the one in Saturday Night Fever. The Italian boys (which was 1/2 the population) would always be in trouble for running a muck. One weekend they even drove into a clothing store front window by accident (due to being very drunk at the time). They then jumped from tray of the ute, snatched a naked mannequin and drove around with her over the next few weeks. They named her, clothed her and attempted to take her to Tramps as their date!Hahahaha, seems it wasn't a boring place to live when the weekend began. This was back when nationalities stuck together. The Greeks and Macedonians on one table, the Italians and Albanians on the other main table, the Aussies on a table and the rest either sat together or sat on mini tables.
Despite being blonde hair, fair skin and piercing green eyes, mums family was Italian so she sat on the big table. She was only there in the beginning to give her cousin Gina an alibi. You have to remember that these were the days that if you wanted to go out on the weekend you had to give the excuse that Gina was apparently sleeping at mums house and mum was apparently sleeping at Gina's house.
The clothes and the shoes my mum had is like a wonderful dream. They are a perfect vision in my mind, so real that I can feel the milk soft silk and hard heavy metal sequins on my hands as I run them through the clothes in her wardrobe. My toes have never been so sore, that'll teach me for wearing her shoes that are half a size small. I see and feel all of this, only to wake up with the harsh realization that out of her entire wardrobe, even the things my aunty Gina bought back from Paris and Italy, mum only kept two items. A pair of Prada shoes in a size 8.5 (which are a tad too big for me) and a one off pair of gold and sunflower-yellow 'Mr Christian' butterfly ankle wrap heels.
I think it was the fact she realized she hasn't kept any of her clothes that we came up with the concept that when we move overseas, her and I are going to turn an entire room into our wardrobe. It will have all of our clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and sleepwear. Doesn't matter what size it is, it all goes into the wardrobe, colour coded. Even our jewelery!
We decided on this because when I have kids and my brother has kids, we want the girls to have a fantastic fashion knowledge and appreciation for what they wear on their back. What better way to teach that than to invite them to share a wardrobe of new and vintage clothing. No-one really does things like that anymore. It also works because I know I'm going to be at a French market one day and see the most beautiful dress, slip, pair of shoes, hat, nightgown etc that will never fit me, so why not buy it and keep it there for someone else to be able to enjoy. There are just some things you can't let pass you by. Just because it doesn't fit me, doesn't mean it shouldn't be mine. If I can afford it, why not?!
I can't wait to get over there and post photos during the renovation of the house.
Until then, my imagination, words and 9 scrapbooks full of magazine clippings will have to be enough.
